Sublancin 168 was originally discovered in the laboratory of this Inventor. The structure of sublancin and its chemical, physical, and biological properties have been published (3). Properties of sublancin that are relevant to this invention are that it is highly active toward inhibition of outgrowth of spores of Bacillus, and that it is extremely stable and resistant to both chemical and proteolytic degradation. The natural spectrum of antimicrobial activity of sublancin embraces many human pathogens, such as strains of Bacillus, Enterococcus, Lactococcus, Listeria, and Staphylococcus; and therefore includes Bacillus anthrasis, which is the causative agent of the often-fatal disease called anthrax.
Outbreaks of anthrax occasionally occur as a consequence of the death of an infected farm animal, which may result in the spread of B. anthrasis spores over an extended area. Such spore contamination can persist for a very long time, since the spores are in a highly stable dormant state. Whereas these natural outbreaks of anthrax can be controlled by good public health practices, a much greater risk exists because of the fact that B. anthrasis spores are one of the most attractive candidates as a bio-warfare agent, especially in the hands of a terrorist group. A few pounds of spores, scattered by an appropriate explosive device, could render an extended area uninhabitable for an indefinite period of time. An ideal counter-measure to such an attack would be a substance that could effectively block the outgrowth of the B. anthrasis spores, and thereby prevent their ability to cause anthrax infections.
Sublancin 168 is highly effective in its ability to inhibit spore outgrowth, and it is an ideal countermeasure to anthrax, as well as other pathogenic spore-formers. However, in order to perform this role, it is necessary to produce sublancin in large quantities. Even though it is highly effective, its use as a countermeasure would require spraying a solution of sublancin over the entire area that is encompassed by the contamination. In order for this to be practical, it is necessary to be able to produce substantial quantities of sublancin at a reasonable cost.
Sublancin is a natural product of B. subtilis 168, and when it is synthesized by the bacterium, it is secreted into the medium. Although sublancin is produced efficiently by the organism, a major factor in the cost of sublancin production is the cost of recovery of the sublancin from solution. Therefore, the development of an efficient method of recovery of sublancin from the culture supernatant would have a major impact on the cost of sublancin production, and therefore on the practicality of its use as a countermeasure against anthrax and other environmental contamination by spores of Gram-positive bacteria.